The Sun. — London, England, 1864-06-17 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS—Last Evening, The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at. 5 o'clock. THE DANO•GERMAN WAR. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH gave notice that to morrow he would ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether measures had been taken to render the British fleet equal to blockading the German ports ? F TA Tr I sent, leaving the to attend to them and administer the funds, That bill did not become law. In 1853 the Whig Government again brought is a bill, and pledges were then given as to the mode of carrying the provisions of the measure into effect, which, he would show the house, had been violated. The Lord Chancellor of ti at day, Lord Russell, who was then a member of tis oust), and the noble viscount opposite, had given pledges and made state ments with regard to the bill which had all been violated. The Lord Chancellor, when proposing the bill known as the Charitable Trusts Act of 1853, stated that the expense of the leoard would not exceed £5,000 a year. But the ex pense for the present year was £18,250. Lord John Rus sel;, when moving the second reading of the bill, referred to the report of the select committee of the House of Lords, and stated that the opinion of the committee was, that the commissioners should be entirely separated from the inte rests of party. But that recommendation was set at nought in every appointment that was made, far there was not a single man tinged with Conservative principles upon the board. The hon. member then went through the list of offi cials in connectionwith the commission,contending that they were all political appointments, made in gross violation of the assurance given by Earl Russell that party politics would have no influence in the appointments made under the Charities Act. Having referred to the appointment of Mr Bouse, as inspector under the board, that gentleman having been previously election agent of a private secretary of the noble lord at the head of the Government, he con tinued—What did they say in the West of England ? Why, that the private secretary of the noble lord had paid his election expenses through the appointment of Mr Bouse, If a select committee were appointed, he believed that cir cumstances anything but creditable to the noble lord and his private secretary would come out. Ho now came to the third inspector, Mr John Symonds, who was declared by the right hon. member for Caine (Mr Lowe) to be "a gentleman who has not been, as far as I (Mr Lowe) am aware, brought up to anything. (Loud laughter.) He (Mr Ferrand) would tell the house who Mr John Symonds was and what he had been, and he would show how the public taxes were squan dered by the Whigs in office, who were pledged to peace, retrenchment, and reform. (Laughter.) This gentleman was not Mr John Symonds—he was John Symonds, jun. (Loud laughter.) John Symonds, jun., was an uneducated man, who could write indifferently, -tut could not spell. (Loud laughter.) Let the house bear in mind a charity inspector ought to be a man of the highest integrity, and above all suspicion, coming as he did in contact with trustees who were charged with the administration of vast property, (Hear, hear.) Now this John Symonds, jun., was a coal and potato dealer in the Hampstead-road—(roars of laughter).— there could be no doubt about it. " Here is his card," said the hon. member, amidst roars of laughter, "as black as a coal and as dirty as a rotten potato." (Sensation.) To use the language of the right hon. member for Caine when he refused a return of the trade, profession, and calling of this man, it might have "lain on the floor of a grocer's shop for twelve months, or been nailed to a coster mongers barrow." (Great laughter.) Here is the address, " Jo'an Symonds, coal merchant, Bridge Wharf, Regent's Canal, Hampstead-road." At the end of 1853 this coal e.nd potato dealer—(laughter) —fled to Australia, but while there he was reduced to beggary, and became a hired labourer. In 1855 Mr Wood, the chairman of the Inland Revenue Board, was dangerously ill, and the inten tion was immediately formed that John Symonds, jun., should be appointed to his place, with a salary of £2,000 a year. Mr Wood, however, did not die until October in the following year, and, Sir G. Lewis being Chancellor of the Exchequer, so the coal and potato dealer had to be provided for as third inspector under the Charity Commissioners. (Hear, hear.) Sir J, FERGUSSON—At what salary ? Mr FERRAND—£BOO a year. Ihe Charity Act received the royal assent on Aug. 14, and immediately John Symonds, jun., was written to in Australia, desiring him to come home, as a lucrative Government office had been provided for him by one of the highest in the land. According he arrived in England early in 1856, and he had to undergo two months' preparation before his friends dared to let him enter the office of the Charity Board. At the expiration of that time he was recommended to her Majesty as duly qualified, and he received his appointment from the Queen on April 21. Now one of the creditors of this newly appointed charity inspector to whom he owed £2,800, money which he had received as his agent, had authorised him (Mr Ferrand) to state that he was prepared to come before a select committee and prove that the appointment of this man was one of the most disgraceful acts ever perpetrated by any Minister. If the house desired, he would give the name of this gentleman, who was one of the most eminent members of the Coal Exchange. He said that, knowing the antece dents of the man, he would have as soon have expected a costermonger to have been appointed to the office. This gentleman went to the °Mee in St. James's-equare, where he found his runaway debtor. He demanded his money, but the inspector pleaded poverty, declaring that he es as living in lodgings at 8s a week. The creditor, however, discovered that he was living in a large, well-furnished house. In 1857 the inspector was sued for the debt—he being then a charity inspector in receipt of a salary of £BOO, and was described as among the most industrious, honourable, and valuable of her Majesty 'a public servants—and met this demand by pleading the statute of limitations, and thus defrauded his creditor. On June 24, 1859, the noble lord the member for Tiverton was gazetted First Lord of the Treasury, and on the following day the Hampstead -road 1 coal and potato dealer, the runaway fraudulent debtor, the Australian day labourer, the statute of limitations pleader, was presented to her Majesty at a court levee by Viscount Palmerston, who stood by and witnessed this insult to his sovereign. (Laughter.) This corrupt appointment was connected with a scandalous transaction in which a Cabinet Minister was deeply implicated. He was prepared to name him, (Cries of "Name.") The noble viscount opposite. If he did not prove this statement in all its material bear ings, he was unworthy a seat in the house. (Hear, hear.) Where was the Chancellor of the Exchequer ? Why was he absent that evening —he who had taunted the gentlemen sitting on the Opposition benches with being spendthrifts of the public taxes? Why was he not upon that bench looking at the noble lord ? Why was he not at home to night ? (Loud laughter.) Had he been in his place, he (Mr Ferrand) should have told the right hon, gentleman it was his duty, as guardian of the public purse, to demand to-morrow a meeting of the Cabinet, and to have insisted upon a distinct, positive, and truthful statement from the noble lord of all his transactions connected with this odious and iniquitous appointment. And if he told the whole truth, to-morrow's sun would set upon a broken-up Cabinet and a disorganised Ministry. (Great laughter.) He ap pealed to the financial reformers opposite whether he had not already made out a case to justify the appointment of a select committee, (Hear, hear.) He next came to the appointment of an accountant to the commission, which was in violation of the law, as there was no authority in the Act of Parliment for such an appointment. If what he suspected was true, that appointment was a gross job. Now, who did the house suppose had got this appointment P When he mentioned the name of Mr G. Goodenough Hayter, the house would see whether it was a gross job or not. This was not the lion, member for Wells, but he was told he was his nephew. Then there were the financial clerks, of whom the public would have known nothing had not he (Mr Ferrand) made a violent speech on the 20th of February, and made the Government give the returns. The Brat clerk was T. W. Erie, who, he supposed, was the son of Peter. (Laughter.) Then he came to another office, constituted in violation of law, that of the record keeper, with a salary of £320 a year, His name was Mr E. A Groville. They told him (Mr. Ferrand) he was a Whig. (Laughter.) Then came eleven second-class clerks, nine third-class (twenty-eight in all), two-thirds of the appointments gross jobs. The expenses of the board in 1864 amounted to £18,243, although the Government had pledged themselves that it should not exceed £5,000 or £6,000, and to be reduced in four years to £1,200, of which Bum £7,560 was for the appointment under the Whig patron • age of the First Lord of the Treasury. The cost of the three additional job-inspectors had cost the tax-payers since 1855 118,130 0, or £3,000 annually, for their salaries. The ex penses of the present board amounted already to £181,224; the expenses of the commissioners before the board amounted to 4315, 6 09, b es id es th e p r i n ti ng, or a total sum of £496,514. al — '"O on the 22d o f O cto b er, 1853, the board wss appointed. 1n1854 the expenses amounted to £9,416, being nearly double the amount the Government had pledged themselves should be the cost to the taxpayers. In 1855 the ex th pen reeses araounted to £10 , 833 , including the salaries of the comm issioners. In 1856 three addi. were £l4 al inspec 291 tors and in 1861, were appoas e i m bed. had a l ready told the house, In 1857 the ex p enses ~ £18,250. The inspector s were t o be the w or ki ng power of the board. They were to go throngb the country, to visit .t the in which different charities, to bring justice t o the public in every part of E ng l an d and Wales, and they h a d ore art to they hadappeared their first annualreport , distributed 15,000 circulars previous to the 31st December, and there had been 30 or 40 in which assistance and advice had been asked, but there was no statement that an inspector had visited one. In 1855 there were 1,100 spec i a l applications, of which th e inspectors had i nvest i gated a b out 800. In 1857 th ey laid their fourth annua l report on the ta bl e, an d in it the inspes. tors reported that they had proceeded with their labours in various charities. Up to 1863 even the names of the in spectors had not been mentioned, but in that year, after he had given notice of his intention to bring the conduct of the commission before the house, they said the inspectors had been actively engaged in inspecting several charities, particularly in the metropolis. Now, ho had taken pains to ascertain what the charity inspectors had been doing, and had got there an account of the travelling expenses of Thomas Hate Skirrow, T. 0. Martin, Symond- , , and Bono , . The money allowed to Mr Hare for travelling throughout the country to carry justice where it was required was £7l, or a weekly average of £1 78 6d. The next was Mr Skir row, who he believed remained at the Charity Board, and was the most active and useful man among them. His expenses were £6O 121, or £1 3s 6d weekly. Now ho came to T. 0. Martin, whose appointment he was told was a grafts job ; and he believed it was so, too. He would not, however, give the evidence he had in his possession, lest he should defeat the ends of justice. (A laugh.) His ex penses were £1 166, 8d weekly, or about £9B per annum. In 1856 this man's travelling expenses.. -1 man who was absolutely necessary to carry on the administration of the law —amounted to £22 63. In the following year they were PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a third time and passe d Exmouth Docks, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and North Shields Road, Rammell's Patent (Pneumatic Tubes), Myt.holm Royde Bridge, and Blackstone Edge-road, and East India Railway Company, RIFLE GUNS. In reply to the Earl of HA.RDWICKE, ___ The Duke of SOMERSET aaiol that it had been deter mined to alter a certain number of breech-loading guns into muzzle-loaders. The exact mode of rifling had not yet been determined upon. COUNTY COURTS. Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from Notting ham against the County Courts Amendment Bill. CHAIN CABLE AND ANCHORS BILL. On the motion for going into committee on this bill, The Earl of CAITHNESS made a few observations on the necessity of making it imperative that the iron and workmanship of every cable should be examined previous to its being sent from the manufactory. He also thought some limit should be put upon the strain :to which each cable was to be subjected, otherwise many a very good article might be destroyed owing to the proof being very much more than was required. Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY made a few observa tions in answer to the noble lord, after which the bill passed through committee, and was reported without amendment• In reply to the Earl of DERBY, Earl GRANVILLE, on the part of the Government, expressed their willingness to produce the papers relating to the Ashantee war. The Chain Cables and Anchors Bill, the Summary pro cedure (Scotland) Bill, and the Improvement of Land Act Bill went through committee. The Mortgage Debentures Bill, the Public Schools Bill, and the Scottish Clergy Disabilities Removal Bill were read a third time and passed. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS—Last Evening. The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a third time and'passed : Buckfastleigh, Totnes, and Soath Devon Railway—Dray. ton Junction Railway —Glasgow (City) Union Railway— Globe Telegraph Company—Great Northern Railway (No. 2) (Lincoln to Bourn)—Great Northern Rail way (No. 3) Doncaster to Gainsborough, &c.)— Ilfraccrabe Railway—lsle of Wight Ferry—Launceston, Bodmin, and Wadebridge Junction Railway—Liverpool and London Fire and Life Insurance Company—London and Blackwall Railway—Lyraington Harbour and Docks— Teign Valley Railway—Tot enham and Hampstead Junc tion Railway—W ensum Valley Railway—and Whitehaven Water. THE ORDER BOOK. Mr D. GRIFFITH asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether there would be any objection to the whole of the Order Book being sent to members weekly, instead of a part of it, comprising one week only, as being much more convenient to them in making their engagements 1 ) Mr F. PEEL said that the question had been under consideration, but he did not think it would be advisable to accede to the motion of the hon. member. CITY TRAFFIC. Mr DOULTON ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what wera the difficulties in the way of carrying into ,effect the City Traffic Regulation Act of last session, and whether any steps had been taken for their removal ? Sir G. GREY said that the Regulation Act had been referred to the law deers of the Crown. He had received no further communication on the subject. THE PALACE OF SCIENCE. Mr DOULTON asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he proposed to take any vote in the present session for the construction of the Palace of Science, of which the drawings are exhibited in the Peers' GAllery ; and, if so, what was to be the amount of the vote ? Mr COWPER—No, sir ; I do not propose to do so. THE YORKSHIRE ASSIZE. Colonel SMYTH asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what course the Government proposed to take in consequence of the vote to which the House of Lords arrived, on Monday last, upon the question of the York shire amine. Sir G. GREY explained that the vote was founded on an address to her Majesty, to which a royal reply would be received by the House of Lords this evening or to morrow evening, and in the interim he thought it would not be advisable to make communication on the subject to the house. (Hear, hear.) POSTAL SYSTEM, &c. Mr DANBY SEYMOUR asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he could lay upon the table of the house the report of a commission lately issued by the French Government on the expediency of unitingthe tele graphic and postal system throughout France, and placing both under the Government? Mr LAYARD said that as the report was not offlcially communicated to the Government, he could not lay it on the table. SIGNALS FOR VESSELS. Mr HORSFALL asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether any steps were being taken for blasting Daunt's Rock, or for placing a lightvessel with fog signals, to prevent a recurrence of accidents ? Mr. M. GIBSON was understood to answer in the affirmative. THE GREAT FISHERIES ART. In answer to Mr. MONSELL, Mr. O'HAGAN said that the commission appointed on this bill was quite competent to deal with the subject. BREECH LOADING GUNS. Mr H. VIVIAN asked the Under Secretary for War whether there was any truth in the report that it was the intention of the Government to convert a considerable num ber of Armstrong breech loading guns into muzzle loaders, and to rifle them on Sir William Armstrong's shunt princi ples ; and, if so, whether he would lay upon the table of the house a copy of any report, or the results of any experi ments, on which it has been resolved to adopt the shunt principle of rifling. The Marquis of HARTINGTON said it was intended to rifle some of the guns which had been constructed, and the trial in question commenced some months back, but it was not likely would be completed until the end of this year. The Admiralty, while approving of the principle of Ehunt ingi were not bound to any particular principle in carrying out their views. With reference to the last part of the question, there could be no objection to lay the report al luded to on the table, but it would take some time to prepare. REGISTRATION OF TITLES IN IRELAND. In reply to Mr lArlunuox and Mr ScimmrDlr , O'HAGAN said tho bill was in course cf Reparation, and he hoped to be able to lay it on tho table during the present session. He thought that there was no necessity for a commission on thesubjeet. THE CONFERENCE. Mr B. OSBORNE said that it would be for the conveni ence of the house if the First Minister of the Crown would state whether it was a fact that the Confereneehad mu() ed until Saturday. Lord PALMERSTON—I believe the next meeting is postponed until Saturday next. (Laughter.) In answer to Lord R. CLcm, Lord PALMERSTON said I am not a member of th e Conference, and all I can say is that the next sitting will be on Saturday next. THE BOARD OF CHARITY. On the motion for going into committee of supply, Mr. FERRAND rose to bring under the notice of the house a motion for a select committee to inquire into the construction, expense, and working of the Board of Charity Commissioners. Since he had given notice of the present motion, grievous complaints had been made to him of the Charity Board of Commissioners, whom he found to be a select nest of Whigs. He had received hundreds of letters from various parts of the country, complaining of the man ner in which the affairs connected with the board were carried out with regard to the numerous charities. The commissioners were charged with negligence, insolence, of fensive letters, maladministration, misappropriation, politi cal partisanship, and drawing up false reports. The inspec tors and commissioners exercised judicial powers. They had authority to go to all parts of the country, hold courts, and summon all ranks and classes of the particular district before them. And if they should be of opinion that the wit nesses had given false evidence, they had power to cause them to be indicted for misdemeanour ; and if any witness was sutntn cued and refused to a tt en d, th ey h a d th e power of declaring him guilty of contempt of the Court of Chan cery. Those were larger powers than had ever been pos sessed by any b oard in this country previous to the Charity Commissioners. It was a b ove all things necessary that the Charity Commissioners should be men of integrity, probity, and honesty, because they had to inquire into cases of mal administration and misappropriation of funds; but there was an opinion abroad that they had neglected their duties in the grossest manner. He had b een told on a former occasion that there were eminent men en the Charity Beard, and that one of them was the brother of Lord Chief Justice Erle. He had m ver denied that 'Ali- Erie was the brother of the Lord Chief Justice; but the quest-akin before them now vc as, not the eminence of the commissione rs , b ut whether they had faithfully, efficiently, and hone s tl y ful filled all the duties imposed upon them by that house, as far as the Charity Board was concerned. The total sum paid for Charity Commissions appointed by the Whigs up to 1834 was £315,600, which on an average was above twelve guineas for every charity in England and AN ales. Besides this, there wa s th e cost of pr i nt i ng an d publishing thirty-eight volumes of evidence and reports, which would take a man fifty years to read through. (A laugh.) In the year 1851 a bill was brought in by the Whig Government to appoint commissioners to superintend charities through out the country, but not to construct a board like the pre- THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 17, 1864. £l2 17s 4d. In 1859, when he was presented at court— (laughter)—the expenses were £7l 13s 7d. He did not know whether his court dress had coat him more than he expected —(laughter)---but he had made an extraordinary spring. In the following year it dropped to £l2 lls £2,400 a year was wrung from the poor tax payers of this country by a Chan miler of Exchequer who said it made his heart bleed when he was asked for 5d per day to pay the warrant officers of the Royal Navy. (Hear, hear.) He would now give the house some idea of the working of the board. In 1837 he complained to the board that something was wrong in his district: Mr Martin went down and held a court next day, and nothing could be more fair, more proper, and he would add more able than was the conduct of that inquiry. He (Mr Ferrand) went home, and during the evening he re ceived information that Mr Martin had been got at by the Whigs, (Laughter.) Mr Martin had acted so fairly that he could not believe it. His informant, however, told him that he had better get his solicitor. The next morning Mr Martin went down to the court and conducted himself in a most overbearing and violent manner. He positively refused evi dence. He went away from that meeting up to London, but he did not send in a report. He (Mr Ferrand) wrote repeated letters to the Charity Commissioners, but never received an answer. He wrote again, informing them of the manner in which the public money was being dealt with by one of the charity trustees. The man died, and he wrote again to re mind the commissioners that the man had not paid the money which was due to the charity. They never even an swered his letter. Again he wrote, and told the Charity Commissioners they had treated him in a most offensive manner by passing over his communications in silence, and adding that if they did not acknowledge the receipt of his letter he should send a copy to the right hon. gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The house should hear the reply: " I am to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th inet." That was the reply he got. He came up and saw the right hon. gentleman the member for Leeds, and asked him to move for the charity correspond ence of Bingle. The right hon. gentleman went and asked for the papers, and of course it was said he should have them. But he believed the right hon. member for Calne consulted with the Secretary of the Home Department, and the result was that the papers were not allowed. In conclusion, the hen, member said that he had taken up the question, from no other mctive than to protect the charities of England from robbery and plunder, and to show the scandalous way the duty of a public board, costing the country 518,250 a 3 ear, was neglected; and appealed to both sides of the house to support him, if the Government obliged him to go to a division. Mr MORRISON condemned the speech of Mr Ferrand as a spiteful personal attack upon the private character of the commissioners, and declined to follow that bon. gentle man into the lobby upon such evidence as he had adduced. Mr F. POWELL, speaking as one of the trustees of a local charity, the administration of which had been cen sured by Mr Ferrand, entered his emphatic protest against the hon. member's accusations. He hoped, however, that the house would grant inquiry, and that hereafter the charity commissioners would treat trustees with courtesy, generosity, and confidence, for without that it was impos sible that charities could prosper. Mr H. BRUCE said the tone and language adopted by Mr Ferrand were such that Government could not accede to his motion. Had that gentleman pursued a different course he should have met the proposal with saying that the subject deserved attention, but at this period of the session it was too late to commence the inquiry, though they would be happy to give an assurance that what the committee asked for would be granted at the opening of next session. Bat the speech had not been directed to the merits of the question whether the powers entrusted to the commissioners had been exercised for the public good ; from first to last it was a personal attack upon the members of the board. The characters of the commissioners, how ever, were toe well known to need any defence at his hands. They were men of acknowledged ability, integrity, and industry. The right hon. gentleman also denied the charges of extravagance, mal-administration, and secresy, and con cluded by saying that inquiry would only redound to their honour, and lead to an extension of the powers so advan tageously given to them, and he should have been too glad to have consented to the motion had it been made with common decency or delicacy. Mr M. SMITH said that, knowing the commissioners whose conduct had been so fiercely assailed, he felt it to be his duty to declare that he believed the charges brought against them by Mr. Ferrand were utterly unfounded, He also spoke from personal knowledge when he asserted that they had conducted their business in an admirable manner. Mr OSBORNE was of opinion that the inquiry ought to be granted, for if the charges alleged by Mr Ferrand were proved to be unfounded, they must rebound upon his own head, and the hon. member would never again be able to bring forward another accusation in the house. Mr ADDERLEY believed that more able and useful public servants than the charity commissioners did not exist. At the same time an accusation had been made, and it ought to be inquired into. That accusation was that they had appointed unfit inspectors; and he thought the Go verni.ent did ill to shirk an inquiry into a matter of that sort, or seek to rebut it by taking exception to the tone, temper, and manner of the mover. Mr LOWE had been an unpaid charity commissioner for five years, and bore his earnest testimony in favour of the members of the board and of those who served under them. After some observations from Mr J. A. SMITH and Mr MALINS, both of whom opposed the motion, Lord GALWAY said that one question at least required investigation, and that was the law expenses. He should, therefore, support the proposal for a committtee. On a division the motion of Mr Ferrand was negatived by 116 to 40. The house then went into committee of supply on the miscellaneous estimates. On the vote of £166,500 for consular establishments abroad, In reply to Mr WILLIAMS and Mr A. SMITH, Mr LAYARD claimed considerable credit for the Foreign Office, for the reductions that had been made in consular expenditure. Mr AYRTON, referring to consular establishments in America, thought it was extremely desirable that the con suls at Richmond, Charleston, and other towns in the Southern States accredited to the Government of the United States should have remained there, and should have been accredited to the Government of President Davis. Lord Lyons had entertained a similar desire; but nevertheless the Foreign Office had gone out of its way to disclaim the Confederate States, and President Davis was obliged to re quest the consuls to leave. He trusted this step would be reconsidered, and that her Majesty's subjects in the Confe derate States would receive the protection they required. The principal duty of the consul at Rome was to render services to British travellers; so he did not see why they should object to paying small fees towards his support. His experience of consuls abroad was, that they rather encou raged the police to insist on visas. There was a sort of con cert between the consuls and the police to get money out of travellers. He saw that the salaries of consuls to the Con iederate States were taken in the estimate, though there were no such consuls. He would like to know whether that course was to be continued in case the consuls were not reappointed. Mr LAYARD characterised the charge against the con sul of conspiring with the police as most unjustifiable, and repudiated the accusation. The hon. member was bound, on making such an accusation, to tell him (Mr Layard) against whom accusation was levelled, that he might make inquiries and satisfy himself of what he was well assured, that such accusation was entirely without foundation. In regard to the consuls to the Confederate States, the British Government had been compelled to remove them on account of their interfering to protect British commerce, and to pre vent British subjects being forced into the Confederate army. No agreement had been made for reappointing them; but, as those gentlemen had been removed for no fault of their own, it would be unfair not to continue their salaries until reappointed. 1 Sir G, BOWYER', said the burst of red. tape indignation to which the house had listened was really enough to take away one's breath—(" hear, hear," and laughter) —and illustrated the saying that there was only a step from the sublime to the ridiculous. As to the Consul at Rome, what use was he? He was not there for the purpose of trade, be cause we haue no trade with Rome, and Rome was not a manufacturing or commercial city. (Laughter.) The fact was that the duty of the British Consul at Rome was to foment discontent among the few persons who were still discontented with the Remish Government. (Laughter.) He said this advisedly, because the people of Rome began to find that they were paying rather less than one -tenth of the taxes paid by the population around them, while those who had placed themselves under the King of Sardinia— (laughter)—bitterly regretted what they had done. (" Question I") The Consul at Rome was perfectly un necessary; the sooner he was suppressed the better ; and the British political agent there might go along:with him. (Laughter.) Mr WHALLEY entertained the same opinion. Mr D. SEYMOUR did not think the convenience of British travellers a sufficient reason for keeping up a consul at Rome, and therefore moved the reduction of the vote by £lOO, being the amoun t o f hi s sa l ary. Mr H. LEWIS sa id t h at the consul at Civita Vecchia could do all th e b us i ness ; w ith re f erence to passports, and that he ought to be supported by travellers. hit NEWDEGATE thought that the House should not recede from the position it had come to to maintain a consul at Rom e for the sake of the commercial relations between Rome and England. Mr WHITESIDE wished to knsw whether a consul was to be appointed at Rome according to the view taken by the Under Secretary for Foreign Afitirs, as to the inferiority or superiority of the Roman Government. Sir O. BOWYER begged leave to remind the noble lord at the head of the Government of the injunction—" Cave consul ne quid respublica detremente capiat." (Cheers and laughter.) Lord PALMERSTON said that Rome was a great Euro pean capital, in which there was a large number of British residents; and though it was i mpracticable to have diplo matic relations with the Papal Government, yet it was necessary to have some recognised British authority who could officially communicate with the Government of the I place. Sir G. BOWYER said the noble viscount at the head of he Govtranaent was technically correct in saying that the British Consul at Rome was necessary because we had no diplomatic relations with that Court, but substantially he was in error. Mr Odo Russell lived at Rome, had audiences with the Pope, and was in communication with Cardinal Antonelli and other authorities. If a Consul was necessary for the protection of British subjects, of what use was Mr. Odo Russell ? (Hear.) Was that gentleman retained at Rome to make political capital—to write despatches of which the Government at home could make political capital in that or the other House of Parliament? (Hear.) Either Mr. Odo Russell or a Consul was unnecessary at Rome. Captain JERVIS wished to know why a consul was re quired at Rome, as well as Mr Odo Russell. He should like to be informed what were the duties and what was the salary of Mr. Odo Russell. After some conversation, Mr. LAYARD said a committee had enquired into the consular system, and had reported in favour of it. The committee were perfectly aware what salary was received by Mr Odo Russell. (No, no.) Well, if they were not he could not tell them. (Laughter.) Mr Russell is not accredited to the Court of Rome and he is quite distinct from the consul. After some further discussion the vote was agreed to. The next vote proposed was the sum of £166,503 for consular establishments abroad. Mr CLAY asked for some explanation with regard to certain fees included its the vote. Mr LAYARD hoped that the vote would be agreed to, as he believed it was entirely for consuls, and that it did not include any fees to the Russia Company. Mr H. SEYMOUR moved that the chairman report progress. The committee divided For reporting progress Against it lll Majority Mr D. GRIFFITH then proceeded to denounce the payment of fees to our consuls abroad, and demanded of the Government that the practice should be discontinued. Lord PALMERSTON said it was no doubt a matter fairly open for consideration, whether those fees, which were in reality mere notarial fees, ought not to be abolished. He himself was in favour of their being retained, but other gentlemen might hold a different opinion. Sir M, FARQUHAR saw no objection to the payment of a small fee by British subjects abroad. The vote was then agreed to, and the House resumed. PUBLIC AND REFRESHMENT HOUSES (METROPOLIS) BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. The House adjourned at a quarter to two o'clock. Naval and Military Intelligence, ----_t-. The Wellesley, 72, Capt. W. H. Stewart, C.P., flagship at Chatham, which took part in the naval and military operations before the Prince of Wales last, was towed up th e h ar b our to her opposite the ordnanee wh ar f yes terday. moorings Saturday The Irresistible, screw line-of-battle coastguard ship, Capt. J. B. Dickson, ran through Spithead cn Wednesday from Southampton Water, and an chored for the night in St. Helen's Roads. Yester day morning she weighed and proceeded on a cruise in the Channel. The Sharpshooter, 6, screw iron sloop, of 503 tons and 202 horse power, will be tried at the Mea sured mile near Portsmouth to-day, on the comple tion of her repairs and refit. A. special trial will also be made of the patent bow rudder with which she is fitted, and which was invented and patented by Commander F. Warren, R.N. At four p.m. yesterday a screw two-decker was off Ventnor, passing to the eastward under her three topsails and foretopmast staysail. The detachments of nen-commissioned officers and men of the Royal Engiceers selected from the depot and other companies at head -quarters, Chatham, to augment the companies employed on the Ordnance survey of Great Britain, have re ceived orders to leave head-quarters to-morrow for the respective companies to which they will be at tached—viz., the 13th, 14th, 16th, and 19th. The whole of the volunteers have gone through a prac tical course of topography, military engineering, and surveying, and are in every respect well qua lified for the responsible duties on which they will be employed. The detachments will be inspected at head-quarters this morning. A court martial was held yesterday on board her Majesty's ship Formidable, fag -ship of Vice-Admi ral Sir Charles Talbot, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief of Sheerness, on Mr. John Swanson, first-class assisteengineer, additional, to her Majesty's ship Trafalgar, 72, screw steam Coastguard ship, Queensferry, North Britain, Capt. Charles F. Schomberg- The court consisted of Capt. John Futford, of the Formidable, flag-ship, president ; Capt. James N. Strange, of her Majesty's ship Dauntless, 31; Capt. the Hon. George D. Keane, of the Naval Barracks, Sheerness; Commander Richard Studdert, of her Majesty's ship Wellesley, 72; and Commander Arthur Barrow, of the Cum berland, 24, guardship of Steam Reserve, Sheers nese ; Capt. Charles F. Schoenberg prosecuted, and Mr. G. H. Knight, of the firm of Messrs. Essell, Knight, and Arnold, Rochester, Deputy- Judge-Advocate, conducted the case. The charge against the prisoner was that he while on board her Majesty's gunboat Mistle toe did, on or about the 26th of May, 1864, negligently perform his duty by allowing the water in the boilers of the gunboat to get .low, whereby a serious injury was caused to them. Evidence was given by Lieut. Alfred F. Maresceux, lieutenant in command of the Miseltoe, and by Mr. T. Baldwin, engineer of the ship, to the effect that during the passage of the Miseltoe from Queensferry to Gran ton the water was so much reduced in the midship boiler that the plates became heated, and the crown of the firebox consequently came down from 4in. to 6in. in the centre, and gradually diminished to wards the end for about 3ft. 6in. in length. It appeared from the evidence that the boiler, owing to the muddy state of the water, had been priming very much, and that in the short space of five minutes from the time at which the steam water guages were properly run up the water went suddenly out of the water guages, and that the prisoner instead of himself taking the necessary means to remedy the deficiency by putting out the fire, informed his superior officer of the danger. The superior officer immediately gave the order for the safety valve to be opened, the fires to be drawn, and the atop valve to be shut. The prisoner read his defence, in which he stated that the boilers had on several occasions acted in a aome what similar manner, but had righted themselves again, and he imagined that they would have done so on this occasion. He was not aware that the danger was so great as it really was. He then pat in certificates from the captains of six vessels in which he had served. All of them spoke of him as a brave, steady, and efficient officer. He then called as witnesses Capt. Schomberg and Lieut. Mares ceaux. They deposed that he had always per formed his duty with zeal and great attention to his official duties. The Court, after some time spent in consideration, were of opinion that the charge had been fully proved, but in conse quence of the high character of the prisoner they ad in the futu re , judged him t o l ose s i x months ' sen i o rity in his ra n k, and. be admo n i s h e d to b e more careful The eeremony of publicly promulgating the find ingrecently assembled at Ch a th a m, by order of Major and sent ence o f a di str i ct cour t-martial, Whi c h Gen. Eyre, for the trial of a sa pper of the R o y a l Engineers named Duncan M‘Millan, took place at the presence a the whole of the o ffi cers an d m en a t present a t h ea d. Bromptoa Bar rac k s yester d a y, in quarters, The c r i me f or w hich the accused was commit suicid e b y :ried was that o f attempt i ng to ,hrowing himself into the water, with the intention of droving himself, and also for habitual bad con duct. The prisoner for some years past has had the reputation of being the very worst man in the corps to which he belongs. For the last three years he has scarcely been a day out of the cells or prison. The Court had sentenced him to six months' im. Fort Clare nce , prisonment in th e m ilitary prison, Rochester. Mr. IL W. IL Walker, iaspactor and auditor of accounts in her Majesty's dockyards, was yesterday engaged at Portsmouth yard in regulating the ac. counts, &c., on the plan introduced by Mr. Stuns- 7eld, M.P. Mr. Childers, M.P., the successor of Mr. Stansfeld at the Admiralty, was expected to oin Mr. Walker at Portsmouth this morning. The following naval cadets having completed the course of instruction on board her Majesty's ship Britannia (cadet training ship), Capt. Powlll, at Dartmouth, received their certificates and quali. fication for seagoing ships on the 14th inst. : First- class certificates, it h 12 montlas'sea time and rating as midshipmen—Ft, W. Craigie, Admiralty prize for study, and second prize for seamanship; H. L. Royle, Admiralty prize for seamanship, and prize for study ; C. J. Reddie, prize for good con duct; R. F. Fegen, second prize for study T. A. Hamilton, prize for good conduct. Second class certificates, with six months' sea time. F. E. Wolrige, D. Bogue, H. P. Harris, prize for good conduct; A. APE wan, H. F. Murray, Admiralty prize for drawing ; J. M, Callwell, second prize for French ; A. F. Trench, R. J. Simonds, F. L. Lawrence, C. K. Pu! vie, W. D. Walker, A. aaggard, W. G. Ottley, prize for good conduct; C. A, Hutton, W. C. Hathorn, G. A. Primrose, A. M. Crawsie, E. Battersby, L. E. Vidal, M. Johnson, S. Ewing, prize for good conduct; G. H. Deacon, second prize for drawing; F. E. Crowe, Admiralty prize for French ; H. B. Turner, F. 11. Henderson, prize for good conduct. Third-class certificates.— L. M. Kirwan, prize for good conduct; W. G. Eden, S. H. Thompson, M. W. Hall, H. H. Brooke, G. Wilson, R. C. Leader, R. C. Protheroe, R. M. Brenburg, and G. S, Langton. An Admiral's good-service pension is placed at the disposal of the First Lord of the Admiralty by the death of Admiral Sir A. Fanshawe, K.C.B. The following appointments were made yesterday at the Admiralty—Commander J. H. Furneaux to be Inspecting Commander of the Coastguard, vice Kane, deceased, Commander T. A. Swinburne's ap pointment having been cancelled ; B. S. Jackson, master, additional, to the Cumberland for the Ser pent ; and J. G. Morgan, master, additional, to the St. Vincent for the Sealark, The Ashantee War. Yesterday a Parliamentary return was issued of various despatches relating to the Ashantee war. The documents commence with an extract from a despatch from the Go vernor of the Gold Coast—Governor Pine—dated the 10th of December, 1862. In this and subsequent despatches Go vernor Pine details the troubles he has had with the King of Ashantee in consequence of his (the governor's) refusal to deliver up runaway slaves. The governor ex presses his deep regret that he finds himself involved, in spite of all his precautions, in a serious, and, he fears, a lingering war. "But," he adds, writing on the 12th of May last year, "such being the case, I will not conceal from your grace the earnest desire that I entertain that a final blow shall be struck at Ashantee power, and the question set at rest for ever, as to whether an arbitrary, cruel, and sanguinary mo narch shall be for ever permitted to insult the British flag, and outrage the laws of civilisation. This desirable object can be attained only by the possession of such a force as I fear the governor of these settlements can never hope to command, unless your grace should be pleased to urge upon her Majesty's Government the policy, the economy, and even the mercy of transporting to these shores an army of such strength as would, combined with the allied native forces, enable us to march to Coomassie, and there plant the British flog. To a stranger the course I point out may ap pear a visional) , one, but I am convinced that even with all the disadvantages of climate, the expedition would not be so dangerous, so fatal, or accompanied with such loss of life as has attended expeditions in other and apparently more genial climes; and with 2,006 disciplined soldiers, followed by upwards of 50,000 native forces, who require only to be led and insi.ired with confidence by the presence of orga nised troops, I would undertake (driving the hordes of Ashantees before me) to march to Coomassie." On Aug. 2 the Duke of Newcastle writes :—" I am not insensible of the encouragement which the unfortunate in action of the troops and native allies under Major Cochran's command may afford to fresh aggressions by the Ashantees; but the proposal of a regular invasion to bo made upon that nation, and of a march upon their capital, is too serious to admit of my encouraging it. I will merely say at present that I shall feel very averse to its adoption, except in case of overruling necessity, and also after the sport of some more c mpetent military commander than anyone from whom there bas yet been an opportunity of obtaining an opinion at the Gold Coast." On October 12, the governor expressed his dis appointment. On Dec. 12 he appears to have received a despatch notifying that instructions had been given to As sistant• Commissary General Blanc to proceed to the Cape Coast for the purpose of arranging with the Governor and the officer commanding the troops an efficient system of transport if circumstances should seem to require such a course. In December last, the King of Ashantee, having for a long time suspended his operations, the governor pro ceeded to march a military party to the Prah in advance, believing that this demonstration would convince the King of the expediency of making concessions. On the 21st of that month, Sir F. lingers, in the absence and by the au thority of the Secretary of State, wrote from Downing -street to Governor Pine as follows : " With reference to your despatch, No. 92, of Oct. 12, in which you state your views in regard to the expediency of organising a force to attack the Ashantees, even supposing that the hitter should not take the initiative, which you consider the more probable, and suggesting that another regiment should be sent to the Gold Coast, I transmit for your information an extract of a letter which, by my desire, has been addressed to the Wat-office, explaining the ground on which I have recommended that your application should be complied with, and I have to request that you will guide yourself by the principles therein stated. In case the ex pected Ashantee invasion takes place, my hope is that you and the officer in command will be able to inflict so severe a Punishment upon the invaders as will remove the disastrous impressions caused by their impunity when they lately ravaged the protected territory, and will deter them from any future aggression. But should no opportunity be found of striking such a blow without entering the Ashantee ter ritory, you are not to regard yourself as absolutely prohibited from doing so under any circumstances, and from advanc ing, as far as the utmost consideration of the safety of the troops would permit, for the purpose of obtaining reparation and securing the peace of the protectorate." On March 11 the governor refers to the commencement of rains, causing some sickness in camp. On the 3d April the governor received from Lieut.- Colonel Conran various medical and other reports, just arrived from the camp at Prahsue, respecting the state of the health of the troops there stationed, " which," says the Colonel, "I must con fess appears to be very alarming," He consequently pro poses to recall a large portion of the force to Cape Coast Castle, leaving three companies at the camp to garrison that place during the rainy season. Another reason for this movement was the non-arrival of the Tamar transport, which had been sent to the West Indies for reinforcements. About this time Governor Pine's health seems to have become impaired, and, active operations against the Ashan tees having been suspended, he embarked on board the Rattlesnake Lir the purpose of taking a cruise. On the 9th April her Majesty's troopship Tamar arrived at Cape Coast with a reinforcement of upwards of GOO troops, which had long been expected. On the 23d May this year Mr Cardwell sends orders in a despatch for the removal of the Queen's forces as rapidly as possible to the healthier quarters on the coast. It should be said that Governor Pine had expressed in April to Col. Conran his doubt with respect to the practicability of keep ing up the detachments remaining at the camp as a guard during the coming months. Mr Cardwell's despatch is as follows : "D owning -street, May 23. " Sir,--I have received with great concern your despatch of April 7, informing me that Governor Pine had been com pelled to leave Cape Coast for the purpose of taking a cruise for the restoration of his health; I earnestly hope that he may return, restored in health and vigour, to the duties or his office, rendered by recent occurrences so full of unusual anxiety and labour. I much fear, though I have not re ceived from Governor Pine or from you any official informa tion on the subject in detail, that the effect of the rainy sea son upon the health of the officers and men has been already very serious. In his letter to me of April 6, Governor Pine enclosed a correspondence between himself and Lieut.-Col. Conran, from which it appeared that Lieut.-Col. Conran had found it absolutely necessary to send away from Prah camp and Swadroo all the troops, except three companies, whom ho proposed to retain to guard the accumulated stores and ammunition; while Governor Pine doubted the practicability of keeping up the detachments which Lieut.• Colonel Conran proposed should remain as a guard during the coming months, and suggested that he should meet Lieut.-Colonel Conran in consultation on the subject. This proposal does not appear to have taken effect, in consequence of the necessity which arose for Governor Pine to leave the colony for the restoration of his health. Under these cir cumstances, I feel it to be my duty to instruct you to take measures, in concert with the officer in command of the troops, for handing over to the native chiefs, whose interest and duty it is to defend the frontier of their own territory, the stockades which have been erected to guard the passes of the River Prah ; to remove to the coast such portion of the stores as, considering the difficulty of transport, it may be desirable to remove ; to give to the friendly chiefs such stores as it is impossible or not worth while to remove, or such as may be especially useful to them in their defensive measures; and to bi log down the whole of the Queen's forces as rapidly as possible to the healthier quarters on the coast, Instructions will be sent by this mail from the Sec retary of State for War to the officer in command of the forces to the same effect; and liberal powers will be given to the officer for the disposal of stores belonging to the department of the Secretary of State for War, in order that you may be able to soften any disappointment which may be felt by the chiefs at this necessary withdrawal of the Queen's troops. You will, above all things, take especial care, in concert with the officer in command, that no stores of any kind are left in such an exposed state as to be likely' , fall into the hands of the Ashantees, and so afford them a cause of triumph. This remark especially applies to guns of all kinds, and other military stores. It appears that th e number of troops upon the coast will now be mo re th an double the number for which the buildings will afford a ccommodation, and that the removal of a con siderable number will be necessary for their 'own health and for the health and comfort of those who are left be hind, Immediate arrangements, therefore, are intended to be made by the War Department for tedttting the force at your disposal to its normal strength, and removing the re mainder from the coast. It may be hoped that the display of force made during the last few months will not have been without its due effect, both on the Ashantee enemy and on the friendly native chiefs, and that the -_.essation of the rains may not bring with it the necessity for a reneV.-al of warlike preparations on your part to defend yourself or the friendly native population from wanton attack. Under the now altered circumstances of the case I do not propose to renew the conditional permission given by the Duke of Newcastle to Governor Pine to strike a blow within the ter ritory of Ashantee. To take immediate steps for securing, as far as possib!e, the health and comfort of the officers and men, is now the first and paramount duty for the Govern ment. You will keep me fully informed of everything which tends to show the disposition of the Ashantees, and as no military operations on my part will now be possible for se veral months, I content myself, at present, with instructing you to use your best efforts to avert the renewal of the war, to induce the native chiefs to rely on their own power and energy to a much greater extent than appears to have been their habit of late, and to avoid the necessity of again bring ing to the settlement a number of the Queen's troops too great to be properly accommodated on the coast, with the certainty that all who go inland will be exposed to the most serious risk of health and life.—l have, &c., (Signed) " EDWARD CARDWELL." A return gives the number of officers and men who have landed at Cape Coast Castle since Jan., 1563, namely, 51 officers and 1,402 men. As a rule, tin officers are Europeans, and the non-commissioned officers and men negroes. There are no particulars given as to the number of casualties. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS, TAlLS.—Sixty-three years ago the greatest pub licist of the age—a writer whose portrait was ad mitted among those of Sovereigns and Generalissimos to a place in the Gallery at Windsor—expressed his views of a artain political combination in the fol lowing emphatic words This transient union of the three States was a single phenomenon, pro duced by a conjunction of extraordinary circum stances, assisted by the genius of one of the greatest men of any age, and beyond the sphere of all the calculations of ordinary politics. Such phenomena must always defeat them; they exceed the science and expose its insufficiency. A similar combination will perhaps not occur in the course of many centuries; it could never last; its permanence would be in contradiction to the nature of things, and to the necessary order of all political relations." When we explain that the writer of these words was no other than Ni. Gentz himself, and that the " combination " which he describes as so unnatural and monstrous was simply an alliance between Austria, Russia, and Prussia, we shall have said enough to make anyone shrink from the perils of political dogmatism. The "phenomenon" which presented itself to this master mind in the shape of an ephemeral abortion passed into an argument so strong and durable as to constitute the chief feature of the political system of Europe from that time to this. Instead of thinking that the three Northern Powers could never be at one with each other, we have learnt to think that any schism between them can express only a casual and transitory difference, and that in any European disturbance they must ultimately be found allied. The truth is that Gentz with all his sagacity failed to perceive the extra ordinary importance of the event which he had been contemplating. That event was the parti tion of Poland, and even in the eager and im passioned controversies which that deed to this day provokes, its singular effect on the political affinities of States is usually overlooked, Not the least re sult of this deed is the complicity established among the perpetrators. All other diversities have been overpowered and outlasted by a common conscious ness in this great matter, and at the present moment the three Sovereigns of the States which divided the spoil are once more meeting for the purpose, it is said, of exchanging opinions and guarantees. We should be sorry to think that this meeting would produce any prejudicial effect upon the debates of the Conference, but we are compelled to draw from this and other recent proceedings conclusions by no means favourable to that peculiar des elopment of civilisation which is expected to bring peace in its train. it is still believed in some quarters that no thing but a little energetic concert among statesmen is required to establish arbitration instead of war as the last appeal of nations; in fact, it is but a few weeks ago that we published an elaborate scheme for the construction of this Supreme Court. But if the application of these principles were practicable we ought to receive assurance from any meeting of crowned heads. A Court of International Arbitra tion must necessarily be composed of national repre sentatives ; that is to say, in most instances, of the representatives of Sovereigns. These delegates must express the opinions of those who sent them ; but how, we ask, is it possible to anticipate that these opinions would be based exclusively and invariably on considerations of equity and right ? It seems to have been totally forgotten in these propositions that no wisdom or device could assimilate a Court of Arbitration to a Court of Justice. In a Court of Justice the judges are always presumed to be abso lutely indiffirent '0 everything except the law. They look at the case from the outside; they have no imaginable interest involved in it, and they pro nounce sen tenet) with entire independence and with out regard to results. But in a Court of Arbitration the judges, whoever they may be, must necessarily be sitting in causes of their own. Not a case could come before the Court but would be the case of one of its own members, and even those who might be un concerned in the particular trial would be concerned in conciliating the favour of their colleagues for future occasions. To make a Court of Arbitration like a Court of Justice, the judges should come from the moon. Look at the Conference now sitting in London. The majority of its members are actually either plaintiffs or defendants in the very suits before the Court, and it is literally by way of distinction that some of the judges are called " neutral." But even these neutral judges have each their bias. The Emperor of Russia takes a journey to concert ar rangements with the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia. France is ostentatious in her assertions that the interests of England in the cause are not her interests. This is equivalent to an ad mission that what is at stake is something different from right, and that what is to be done is something different from justice, or otherwise every judge would be interested in precisely the same manner and degree. Nor are we pretending to any mo nopoly of impartiality on our own part. We have sympathies as well as others, and though we think we may claim some credit for disinterestedness, we should certainly not get that claim allowed. But how in the world could any Court thus constituted be described or regarded as a genuine Court of impartial arbitration? And how, again, could a Court for the purposes of international arbitration be constituted substantially otherwise ? European disputes mean disputes between European States, and the quarrel, if it is not to be fought out, must be arranged by the mediation of such States as are not actually parties to it. Probably, the basis of the arbitration theory is that there would always be neutral States in strength sufficient to arbitrate fairly between contending States; but the present aspect of Europe carries an immediate disproof of the assumption. Where is the really neutral State in this Danish question ? Say that Russia has no strong or direct interest in the result, yet we now see that when the case of Denmark comes on for trial the case of Poland affects the proceedings, and that three out of the five great powers are hound together by a community of responsibilities contracted nearly a century ago. One European " question " is inextricably linked with another, and the judges of Denmark's rights and Ger many's claims are distracted by thoughts of Hungary, Italy, and Poland. It is evidently con sidered not impossible that the Polish question may , govern the Danish. These are not agreeable reflec tions, but it is of no avail to deceive ourselves by looking at things in a false light, A Court of Inter national Arbitration, if by such definition is meant a tribunal bound to administer evenhanded justice to contending nations without fear or favour, is a practical impossibility, because it would be impos sible to find judges who were not either directly or i indirectly p ar ti es t o t h e su i t. But still there s something between this perfect alternative and the resource of war. A Conference or Convention of States cannot be a C o u r t o f A r bit ra ti on in any strict sense of the words. It is a meeting for the discovery of a possible c om p rom i se b y ascer t a ining what the induced from and their friends can severally be from one motive or another tosurrenbdy Suspicions, erOraCCept The proceeding s may be affected expectations, and alarms as much as . by argument, evidence, or demonstration ; but still it atsydifrsocrausstihone and not fighting. It is only too evident, h owever, that of o.Many C international re n s law yet a longcases of vir quarrel, and perfection those the most common and most dangerous, it does not so much as profess to reach. In others it cannot be administered without such inevitable and uni versal bias as precludes the idea of genuine arbitra tion. But such as it is, it is something to employ instead of war ship s and cannon, and we must endeavour to make it do their work. DAILY NEWS.—" I am not a member of the Con ference, and all I know is, that it is adjourned till Saturday," was the answer of Lord Palmerston to a question put to him in the House of Commons last e vcn This reply ought t o que ll t h e dissatisfac tion of any whose over-inquisitiveness has made them impatient of tho scantiness of public informa tion concerning the Conference. Lord Palmerston knows no more about the matter than if he were a clergyman in the country, instead of being the soul of the Government. He knew last night what every newspaper read er k new y es terddy morniog, and uo more. The wonder is that he knew so much, seeing that, as he explained the other day, he does not read the newspapers. And if he is content to know eo little, how rain and idle, hove truly reprehensible, must be the unofficial curiosity which is always asking for more. It is true the pees. tion may be asked—if Lord Palmerston does not know what our bankers and merchants are r anxious to learn, does not know whether the work.;of the Conferetet is advancing steadily and slo wl y to a safe conclusion, or in likely to break up in utter helplessness, who is in charge of our affairs. The House of Commons laughed at the illustrious know nothing, and in that laughter Lord Robert Cali may see the fate of any movement which his pa !ti e may make as long no the Danish question reenato. undecided. Certainly, in this ease the pleasure of being cheated is not small. The House of Cool' -- mons, curious as it can be at times, does not Wa,i'! the knowledge that b r i ngs re sponsibility. It lace': when the Head of the Government declares he. l 7 ignorant of the most imp or t an t political fact of al' day ; laughs, not simply as a man might laugh NO ° should see at the window the master whom the se" vent has declared to be not at home, but with tho superadded satisfaction of one who has escaped °I bore. The House may well love a Minister who s n ' cheerfully relieves it of heavy responsibilities whi ch it desires to evade, and the laughter which expresses its profoundest satisfaction ought not to be con" founded with the ebullition of a light and frivolous temper. 'When the country is committed irrevocably to a course, when either our ally and protege is de stroyed or England is at war, then no doubt tb House will rise to the level of the occasion, and b° grave, statesmanlike, el oquen t. A n d y e t, if not for its own sake, for the sake of those whom it rePr e. sents, it may be wished that it w ere th e habit of ~ Premier to deal more faithfully with the House ° Commons. The temper of that House will alicaY°, be to a great extent wh a t it s l ea d ers ma ke it, bu t its obligations cannot be relaxed by the indulge!" of a Minister. The engagements which the Go vernment of the day contracts with foreign power s in the name of the country are matters of the higb e ' f concern, and the functions of th e G ran d Council O d the nation cannot be in any measure t r ansferee to a Conference, or its ri g ht s b e impaired of the agreements or disa greemen t s o f a knot ° foreign diplomatists. Perhaps Lord Palmerst on was not called last ni g ht t o ma k e a f orm al and : solemn statement on a easu a l ques ti on pu t by t opponent. But if he h a d th oug h t proper to b as e candid with the representatives of the nation, thete is no ground to believe that he would not have heel met in a reasonable spirit. It would, no doubtaha ye been disappointing to the House to be told that the Queen's Government, after having proposed a ce" tain division of Sleswig, in which the Danish G°' vernment had brought itself with much difficulty to acquiesce, had subsequently thought it right, iii the endeavour to appease the Germans, to propos' another line of division m uc h l ess a d vantage ous t : n Dentr ark, and that the necessity of referring tb proposition to the Government mo s t concerne d ha i " caused delays and postpo nemen t s . O n t h e there is a strong disposition in the House of Cora' mons, which in this respect at least represents t he country, to make every allowance for the difficut.t situation in which the Queen's Government 19 placed. It is only necessary to glance at the foreig n ' and especially the F renc h scm i. o fficial papers, to perceive that Lo r d s P a l mers t on an d R usse ll hsce more to consider than simply how German ambit! °il may be checked. But th e o b s t ac l es w i t h which Ministers have to contend are known to the worlds and the elements of national policy are discussed by the newspapers, and it is not fitting that the Hou se of Commons, which has spent so much time o n foreign affairs for which it is n o t answera bl e ,shollid remain a silent spectator of transactions deeply concerning the honour of England, and reserve fo r itself nothing but the right of approving or O n " demning an arrangeme n t th a t h as b ecome comp and irrevocable. COUNTRY MARKETS. MANCHE STER—THURSDAY. A tolerably good attendance at our market to-day, an d both wheat and flour were held for somewhat higher rates, which checked sales, and only a limited business occurred. Oats and oatmeal in moderate demand at previous quotr tions. En g li s h an d E gypt i an b eans rat h er d eare r. 13 Indian corn no change. BURTON. ON-TRENT—THURSDAY. Old white wheat..4ls to 455 Old red wheat 4os to 42s New do. I 39s to 44s New do. 37s to 4 10 Malting bar1ey....325 to 35s I Oats. 20s to 30e Grinding d0.....26s to 29s I Beans 34s to 420 BIRMINGHAM—THURSDAY. There was a less supply of English wheat at market to day, but the sale was dull, and last week's prices were no minally unaltered. Barley was quite as dear. Beans and oats were held for fully late prices. Peas in better demand. —English wheat was sold at 40s to 44s for white, and 36s to 42s per 36 stone for red, Barley, new malting, 30s to 38s per qr; grinding, 188 to ,24s Oats, old, 22s to 30s per 30 stone ; Irish, 18s to 245. Beans, 34s to 40e per qr. Peas, 32s to 38s per 36 stone. BRISTOL-THURSDAY. A short supply of English wheat at market, which met a slow sale at about late quotations. Foreign wheat was quiet, without any alteration in pride. Grinding b irleyln very restricted dem a nd. B eans , f or w hi c h a f a i r inquiry was experienced, were the turn dearer. Oats were barely inquired after, but brought late rates. EDINBURGH GRAIN—JUNE 15. To• day there was a good supply of grain, which Bola readily at fully last week's prices. Wheat on the top Os 6d down.. ....average Os 6d down. Barley on the topf3s Od down .average Os 4d uP. Oats on the top is 6d down average Os 3d up. Beans on the top is 6d up. .. ..average Os 3d up. Avei age Prices. - Wheat., Barley 29 s 40d Beans 3ss 64 Total Supply and Sales. Wheat ...1196 qrs Sold 951 qrs 8ar1ey........ 210 qrs Sold 135 qrs Oats Beans lO3 qrs Sold 85 qrs ~ Flour sells a s f o ll ows : —Whit es, 3 7s Od ; extras, 35s ocl superfine, 33s Od ; fine, 31s Od. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton .. June IS. via Marseilles July 14• brazil and Cape 'Verb, by British packet. July Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena June 2 ' Penang., and Singapore, via Southanipton June 18. via Marseilles June '27' Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton June 18 ' India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton JunelS via Marseilles June '2 7 India (Bombay), via Southampton .. June 25. via Marseilles Portugal.... j July il° 52. : 0 Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton June 18. via Marseilles July 6 Newfoundland Oporto and Vigo U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.... Juno 2 1 * by U.S. packet.... by Canadian packet. June 2 4 . All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, l June 28. California. and British Columbia.. LADTERTISEMENT.I—HoIIoway's Pills,—Desirable POP session.—Without health, no amount of wealth, no means of pleasure, are of the slight es t va l ue. I t i s i nconc eivable how small a disturbance of the animal functions begets wretchedness, and how readily it may be rectified by a few doses of some purifying and regulating medicine such as these world•renowned pills—these have proved the best friend to mankind, in every grade, in every 14nd, and under almost every circumstance. Holloway's pills purify the blood, rectify digestion, stimulate the liver and kidneys, and regulate the bowels. When fevers, influenza, and other ailments are epidemic, these pills should be taken occa sionally by every one to keep the blood and system free from the seeds of the prevailing pestilence. Sold at Pro fessor Holloway's establishment, 241, Strand, and by a ll medicine vendors throughout the civilized world. Births. COVRE.—On the 15th inst., the wife of Charles Combe, Esq., Cobham-park. Surrey, of a son. FELLOWES.—On the loth inst., at W ar bli ngton Rectory, Hants, the wife of Captain W. B. Fellowes, of a daugli• ter. MEAD.—On the 13th inst,, at Heytesbury, the wife of the Rev , R. G. Mead, of a son. WHITE.—On the 14th inst,, the wife of Frank While , Esq., of Charnwood Cottage, near Loughborough, of a son. Marriages. Bupf—DonD.—On the 16th inst., at Wanstead Church, Essex, Henry Edward Bush, Esq., of Newehwangt China, to Jeannette, eldest daughter of P. G. Dodd, Esq., of Cornhill, and New Wanstead. SIM PSON — THORNWURN.—On the 16th inst.. at Peeblegt David Crighten Simpson, Esq., merchant, of London, to eldest surviving daughter of Walter Thornburn, Eeql banker, Peebles. Deaths. ABEL.—On the 13th inst., at Mabledon-place, Burton crescent, Landon, Miss Ann Abel, aged 72. Bz*L.—On the 11th inst., at The Lodge, Grafton Point, Redhill, George Standford Bell, late of Hill House, Peckham, aged 37. CSEALMERS Oa the 14th inst., after a short illness, at his residence, Denbigh-street, Mr. William Chalmers, agedl64. LUCAS.—On the 151 h inst., at West-hill, Wandsworth , Edmund Lucas, aged 65. LLovp.—On the 13th inst., at his residence, 25, MarinP parade. Dover, after a short illness, Commander V. Lloyd, Esq., R.N., aged 69. WRANGHAM —On the 15th inst., at Warwick-road, Upper Clapton, Miss Jane Wrangham, aged 78. WY NNE.—On the 11th inst., at Nerquis Hall, near Mold the Rev. Lloyd Wynne, aged 78. London • Prin:ed and Prbllshed by WILLIAM ANDREWS of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office Nn. )12, Strand, -u the Precinct of the '3avoy, .11 the Couto at June_l7, 1884.